Never been to Comic-Con? Here are the can't-miss panels at this year's free stay-at-home event

About this time every year, 135,000 fans – and a good chunk of Hollywood – flock to San Diego for Comic-Con, the annual geek-friendly extravaganza. Everybody waits in line, often for hours, and then packs into a convention center to see celebrities and find out the latest information about their favorite movies and TV shows.

It's pretty much the worst place to be during a pandemic, so the confab has wisely gone virtual this year, running presentations through Sunday on YouTube and giving many folks the chance to have the Comic-Con experience for the first time. (For those who want to embrace what it's really like, walk around the block in hot summer weather wearing a Chewbacca suit between panels and eat random snacks all day.)

This first Comic-Con@Home features a cosplay competition just like the real thing. There will of course be stuff to buy, and you can even print out your own badge to have a souvenir. But it's the panels covering film, TV, books, comics, fandoms, LGBTQ/diversity issues and everything in between – including spotlights for celebrities such as Charlize Theron and Joss Whedon – that will garner the most interest.

Virtual Comic-Con: 10 crazy tips for cosplaying San Diego at home, long lines and all

Keanu Reeves:Check out an exclusive look at the A-lister's action-packed first comic book

Some of the heavy hitters aren't around (the Marvel Cinematic Universe is sitting this year out and DC has its own FanDome event next month), but it's still a plenty busy schedule. Here are five panels that you won't want to miss:

Patrick Stewart captains the 'Star Trek' universe across an expanding frontier

CBS All Access has successfully carved out a bingeworthy sci-fi niche with its "Star Trek" streaming programming. On Thursday (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT), fans will get a sneak peek at the new animated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks," a virtual cast table-read of the "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2 finale (perhaps with clues about the coming third season and "Strange New Worlds" spinoff), and a visit from "Trek" legend Patrick Stewart discussing his show "Picard."

'The New Mutants' reminds us all that it's a movie that actually exists 

While there's a lack of A-list superhero power at Comic-Con@Home, at least youth will be served by Thursday's panel (5 ET/2 PT) for Marvel's horror thriller "The New Mutants" (in theaters Aug. 28) with cast members Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga. Audiences may also get to see new scenes from the film, which has been delayed multiple times since its original 2018 release date (and could shift again amid COVID-19 spikes).

'The Walking Dead' gets an infusion of old and new 

The world of AMC's zombie franchise is featured in three consecutive panels Friday (beginning at 3 ET/noon PT). "Fear the Walking Dead" kicks things off with cast members teasing the upcoming sixth season. The flagship "Walking Dead" series is next with stars Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan, who returns as a series regular in the coming 11th season. They'll discuss the Season 10 finale, which will finally air later this year after a post-production delay because of the pandemic. And "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" closes out the undead lineup with a first look at the new show, which centers on the first generation of children raised in the post-apocalyptic society.

'Bill & Ted Face the Music' is part of an all-Keanu Saturday

Keanu Reeves, A-list movie star and rookie comic-book writer, gets a lot of YouTube screen time. First up is a 15th anniversary reunion for "Constantine" (3 ET/noon PT) that features Reeves and director Francis Lawrence, and the actor teams up with old-school bud and co-star Alex Winter for a panel (6 ET/3 PT) all about the coming third "Bill & Ted" time-traveling comedy (out Aug. 28). The discussion is moderated by Kevin Smith and features cast members Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine and William Sadler.

'Lovecraft Country' melds terror and the Jim Crow South

Horror shows aren't usually quite this timely: Premiering Aug. 16, the HBO series executive produced by Misha Green, Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams takes a road trip across America with a young Black man looking for his missing father in a story that tackles racism and monsters, both human and supernatural. Saturday's panel (7 ET/4 PT) is a showcase for the show's cast, including Jurnee Smollett (“Birds of Prey”), Jonathan Majors (“Da 5 Bloods”), Michael Kenneth Williams, Aunjanue Ellis and Courtney B. Vance.

Contributing: Bill Keveney

No Comic-Con, no problem:DC to hold its own superhero-filled virtual pop-culture convention in August